An Experiential and Connections Essay of My Work at Great Oaks Country Club in Rochester, Michigan

Abstract

About ten years ago I carried my first bag as a caddy at Great Oaks Country Club and little did I know that I would be there in the years to come, I would be practically running the golf aspect of the club. Like in every job I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I paid my dues and worked countless hours there to make my presence known. It was like a life long training period that I was going through until last summer when I returned from the trip of a lifetime studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. I was excited to get to work, not just because I would be making money but knowing that I would be second in command and managing the golf operations got me fired up a bit more to begin my job. I thought to myself this wasn't just going to be another year of taking tee times and pulling bags. I was going to have people other than the membership who counted on me to do my job effectively and efficiently. Little did I know that I would have a quite a bit of work waiting for me when I got back because of a whole new network of reservations and handicaps while learning to deal with a new boss. I knew I always had a little challenge coming back, learning new members names, recalling some of the way things are run, and learning to deal with the minimal changes that were made during the off-season (winter). I knew I would have to take this year very seriously because it would be my last and I wanted to leave a great lasting impression on the membership with hopes that I would have jobs offers from some when I graduate in the spring. I thought the members would be my best shot at getting a job out of college because they know me and are most likely very important in their companies or else own their own business. Beginning in June, I would have to prepare myself for my final and most challenging summer yet at Great Oaks. In the Experiential description I will discuss my daily responsibilities and interaction with the membership in order to make the club run smoothly. During this essay I will talk about how my work here has taught me about business operations and how relationships, both business and personal are built. In the connections essay I will discuss how the business and membership at the country club are affected by the economy.